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This week the seemingly interminable 2020 presidential campaign will (hopefully) be at an end. While it is too soon to predict whether Trump or Biden will prevail on November 3, it is almost certain thatsocialmediawill be declared the undisputed loser.

If Biden wins, the Republicans will likely allegeunfair treatment onsocialmediaas a contributing factor in their loss. In the months leading up to the election,socialmediaplatforms including Facebook and Twitter have repeatedly flagged, fact-checked, or removed a number ofTrumps posts. They will blamesocialmediafor not doing more to bepolitically neutral.

If Trump wins, the Democrats will likely allege insufficientcontrol of misinformationonsocialmediaas a primary cause.False informationabout coronavirus, candidates, and conspiracies spread faster thansocialmediasites can take it down. Thus, the Democrats will blamesocialmediafor not doing more to address misinformation.

Regardless of the outcome, the losing side will be primed to blamesocialmediafor their loss and try to punish them for it over the next four years. Meanwhile, the winning side will likely say they won in spite of a brokensocialmediaenvironment and try to fix the rules to their advantage for the next election cycle.

This hostility will set the stage for Congress and the next administration to come out guns blazing to try to set new rules forsocialmedia, and such proposals may find bipartisan appeal. Some will call to break up Big Tech based on the mistaken belief that having more and smaller platforms will lead to better national dialogues. Others will demand thatsocialmediacompanies be stripped of theirliability protectionfor third-party content, unless they adhere to new rules on content moderationrules that would differ by the party in power.

Overall, the impact of such rules would be a major setback for Americans. Whensocialmediaplatforms are turned into political punching bags, they are forced to prioritize the demands of the prevailing political winds rather than the need of their users. In this case, they would likely be forced to significantly limit what the average user posts online to avoid potential violations.

While this might indeed reduce misinformation and punish those perceived as insufficiently politically neutral, it would come at the expense of the vibrancy that makes these platforms attractive to users in the first place. Moreover, it would undermine long-held values on both sides. Conservatives would be turning on their commitments to free markets and individual liberty in favor of increased regulation and government control. And by placing greater restrictions onsocialmediaplatforms, liberals would be curtailing free speech online, which would be unfortunate because, as the ACLUs national legal director David Coleexplains, the targets of censorship are typically dissidents, outsiders, the marginalized.

Win or lose, both parties are likely to targetsocialmediafollowing the 2020elections. Reactionary policies to right perceived wrongs will ultimately hurt major U.S. tech companies, reduce U.S. competitiveness, and hurt U.S. consumers. The questions about fairly and transparently moderating online content that have emerged throughout this election cycle should continue after the votes are counted, but with an eye toward improving consumer welfare, not just the next election.

This article was originally published onInformation Technology & Innovation Foundation's website.Governing's opinion columns reflect the views of their authors and not necessarily those of Governing editors or management.

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No Matter Who Wins the Election, Social Media Will Lose - Governing